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Norm Referenced tests correct answers Tests in which the scores are measured against the
performance of others in a given group.
Critteria Referenced tests correct answers Tests in which the scores are measured by an objectve
standard.
Terms you'll see in NRT correct answers Raw score, percentage score, stanine, scale score, grade
level equivalent score.
DEFINITION OF NRT TERMS correct answers DEFINiTION OF NRT TERMS
Raw Score correct answers Raw scores indicate the number of items a student answers correctly.
For students who take the same test, their raw scores can be compared. Because tests vary greatly
in difficulty and because the number of items varies between tests, raw scores have little value in
making comparisons between one subject and another. Raw scores are often converted to
percent-correct scores by dividing the number of correct answers by the total number of
questions.
Percentiles correct answers Percentile scores indicate the percent of students in the norming
sample whose scores were at or lower than a given score. Percentile scores are among the most
commonly reported scores and are best used to describe a student's standing in relation to the
norming group at the time of testing. Gains in scores increase percentile ranks more in the
middle range than toward the extremes of scores, and graphs of these scores have a mountain-
like profile (low at the ends). Also, there are national percentile ranks as well as local and state
percentile ranks. A national percentile rank is the percent of students in the national norming
sample who have scores less than or equal to a student's score. National percentiles are useful in
letting parents, educators, and students know how well students in a particular class or school
compare with other students around the country. A local and a state percentile compare a student
to local and state norming samples.
Stanines correct answers In the term stanine, "sta" stands for standard and "nine" represents the
scale, which has values from 1 to 9. Like percentiles, stanines rank students, but in nine groups.
Stanine scores of 1, 2, and 3 are considered below average; 4, 5, and 6 are average; and 7, 8, 9
are above average. The stanine scale is not associated with pass/fail values, just as the
interpretation of percentiles does not mean the student has failed. If a student receives a stanine
score that is below average in a particular skill area, the test has revealed an area in which that
student may need to improve, or at least an area in which the student is weak when compared to
other students who took the test. Stanines are frequently used as a basis for grouping students.
Scale Scores correct answers Scale scores, one type of standard scores, are three-digit numbers,
ranging from 001 to 999, that enable you to compare a student's performance from year to year.
Scale scores are also useful in comparing performance in one subject area across classes,
schools, districts, and other large populations. As opposed to a raw score, a scale score considers
item differences and is calculated to provide a more precise measure of the knowledge or skills
, tested. Different tests use different scale scores. Some tests report scale scores using vertical
scales; that is, a range of scores is used to represent achievement from the lowest grade level
tested to the highest grade level tested. The Stanford 10 NRT uses a vertical scale. Unlike
percentile scores, the interval between scale scores is equal, so you can average these scores to
compare groups of students or schools.
Grade-Level Equivalent Scores correct answers Grade-level equivalent scores use a scale based
on grade levels and months to estimate students' performance. "Grade-level equivalent (GE)
scores are determined by giving a test that is developed for a particular grade to students in other
grades. For instance, test designers establish grade-equivalents for a 4th grade test by giving that
same test to students who are in the 6th and the 2nd grades" (Eissenberg & Rudner, 1988,
Section "What are Grade-Level Equivalent Scores?"). Grade-level equivalent scores are subject
to misinterpretation. In the example above, the decimal number 5.2 does not place Johnny at the
2nd month 5th grade level. The score does not indicate he is ready for 5th grade material. He
may or may not have acquired the same skills as the typical 5th grader. It is only a rough
approximation of where the student is performing in comparison to other students in the same
grade. Classroom teachers can use grade equivalent scores as a gauge for their students' reading
levels. The scores can help teachers realize the wide range of their students' reading abilities and
then they can use the scores to help select leveled reading material. Of course, students'
independent reading levels can be affected by vocabulary and background knowledge, as well as
by individual interest in the subject matter.
Another problem with grade-level equivalent scores is that they are often inaccurate for students
with very low or very high scores. At these levels, a single right or wrong answer can mean the
difference of a full grade level or more.
As with percentile scores, a teacher should use grade-equivalent scores only to describe a
student's standing in relation to the norming group at the time of testing. GE scores should not be
used to describe groups or to compute student gains.
Concerns with Grade-Level Equivalent Sc
Normal Curve correct answers NRTs are designed to "rank-order" test-takers; that is, to compare
student's scores to the scores of a large student group of the same age and grade (norming
group). For comparison purposes, questions on an NRT are designed so the results end up
looking similar to a bell-shaped curve. This curve is referred to as the "normal curve" where
most students will score near the middle, and only a few will score low (the left side of the
curve) or high (the right side of the curve).
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) correct answers The Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) is
another way of seeing where a student's scores lie along the normal curve. NCE and percentile
scores are both comparisons with how the individual who took the test compares with individuals
in the norm group.
In a normally distributed population,
